Royalty w/o 6/10 in review

Monday night after work I came home and I made myself dinner and I relaxed since there were no games in the area that I could get to.

Tuesday night after work I went to Taste of Dolly's on my way to Citi Field to see the Mets open a three game series with the St. Louis Cardinals who were making their only appearance this season. Upon arrival, I saw my pal Sam Citron when I entered the Jackie Robinson Rotunda. As always it was a pleasure to see him again. It was a Citi Tuesday so I went out to the booth behind the Apple in center field. By doing so, I got a free $10 gift card by showing my Citi Mastercard before I headed upstairs to the Royal court which was in session in section 516 on this night. I was joined by David Sack, Frank Anichiarico, Al Linderman, Alan Gimpel & Domish who told me he's been to 140 hockey games this season. That's impressive considering the NHL locked out for a big chunk of the season. He loves his hockey. It was nice to see him again.

As for the game we saw, the Mets got off to a fast start as Omar Quintanilla hit a solo home run and Marlon Byrd added a sacrifice fly off of Cardinals' rookie pitcher Michael Wacha in the first inning to give the Mets an early 2-0 lead. The Cardinals sliced the Met lead in half as they scored a run in the fourth inning on a double play grounder by first baseman Matt Adams to make it a 2-1. They broke the game open in the fifth inning when Daniel Murphy of the Mets made an error at first base to start the inning. The Cardinals took advantage by getting timely hits which included a three run homer by Allen Craig that highlighted a five run inning to give the Cardinals a 6-2 lead off Mets' starter Jeremy Hefner. The Cardinals tacked on two more runs in the seventh inning and one more in the ninth to beat the Mets, 9-2. As a result, Michael Wacha picked up his first major league win.

Wednesday night after work I returned to Citi Field after I stopped off at Subway to have my pre game meal. I was planning to have some Carvel Ice Cream too but the machine wasn't working due to the heat they said.

When I got to Citi Field I saw Sam again. It should be noted this night was another milestone for me. It was my 4,000th Major League game I've seen in person. It turned out to be a festive occasion when I got upstairs. This time we wound up sitting in section 514 which is right behind home plate. We had many regulars on hand and a special guest too. As for the regulars, they were Manny Morales, Rich Wolber, Frank Anichiarico, Phil Butleman, Martin Caamano, Vincent Ascanio, Bryan Gilligan, Steve Tepperman and of course the King. In addition, we had musical entertainment in section 513 as the Hooligan's were present & accounted for.

Me & Megabus Matt at Citi Field

More importantly, we did have a visitor. I'm referring to Matthew Weil aka Megabus Matt who was in the midst of a 25 day 25 ballpark journey. The amazing thing about it was that he was doing it all for $700. He was riding Megabus all over the country. He said he got $1.00 rides to all his destinations. He's originally from Philadelphia but he now lives in Berkeley, California. He told me he likes to do budget traveling. He told me he went from Los Angeles to New Zealand for $399.00 in the past. He knows how to get great deals. When I told him about all the different places the King & I have been, he was dazed and amazed. He said and I quote "that's crazy." Some of the things he's done had me wondering the same thing about him. Everybody looks at things differently. Let's face reality, in order to enjoy life properly, you have to be crazy and daring. If not, you're wasting your precious time. Matt told me that he was heading down South for the weekend. He was going to Atlanta, Tampa & Miami. It sounded like a grueling ride. I told him I could relate from my early days of traveling with the King on Greyhound buses to different parts of the country. He said he was returning to NYC to see the Yankees play the Dodgers. I told him we'll see you again there.

As for the game we saw, it looked like a preview of home run derby. We saw four home runs in the game. Most games we're lucky if we see one or two. The Mets managed to hit three of them. Lucas Duda hit the first one in the fourth inning, David Wright hit one in the sixth inning and Marlon Byrd added one in the seventh inning to back the great pitching of starter Dillon Gee who went six and two thirds innings allowing just one run which was a home run by Allen Craig of the Cardinals in the sixth. The Mets defeated the Redbirds, 5-1 despite striking out ten times against Cardinal starter Shelby Miller in six innings.

Thursday night after work I came home and I made dinner then I braved the elements as I did my laundry in the rain. I thought the rain stopped. I got ready and when I was going to walk out of the house I heard the rain coming down. I was caught off guard but I improvised and I got the job done.

Friday night after work I went back to Taste of Dolly's for pizza on my way to Citi Field to see the Mets open a three game series over Father's Day weekend with the Chicago Cubs.

On this night, we wound up sitting in section 515. Amongst us were David Sack and his friend Andrew, Alan Gimpel, Martin Caamano and Michael Carson. In addition, we had a surprise visit by our pal Manny Bonilla. It was really nice to see him again. He's been busy with school. As for the game we saw, the Cubs raced out to a 5-0 lead after two innings off Met starter Shaun Marcum which set the tone for the game as the Mets lost, 6-3.

After the game, the Mets had a special concert starring Foreigner. When I heard about it a few months ago, I was all excited. I love their music. Stay tuned for a special post that I'm going to do about their appearance.
Saturday afternoon the King & I went back to Citi Field for game two of the three game set with the Cubs.
This time we sat in section 516. We were joined by Manny Morales, Marc Beck, Michael Abrams, Phil Butleman, David Sack, William Frank Guthrie, Vincent Ascanio, Frank Anichiarico, Bryan Gilligan and Rich Wolber.

In addition, we also had Pat Gorman who just returned from his trip to the Midwest. He went on his annual baseball road trip. This time he took a shortened version. He only made stops in Milwaukee and Chicago. He got to see the Brewers at Miller Park, Cubs play at Wrigley Field and the White Sox at the "Cell" if you will. It was great to see him again.

As for the game we saw, the Mets fell to the Cubs again, 5-2. The Mets couldn't overcome all the walks their pitching staff issued. In addition, Cubs' starter Scott Feldman held them to just two hits over the first seven innings. The Cubs put the game away in the top of the eighth inning. They tried to make a comeback but it fell short.

After the game, Bryan drove the King & I and Rich Wolber to Allentown, Pennsylvania. We went to Coca Cola Park again to see the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. They were playing the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, the Yankees Triple A affiliate.

As for the game we saw, it was over early as the RailRiders built a 4-0 lead after two innings. They added some runs late to beat the IronPigs, 7-0 in front of a sellout crowd of 10,100.

Sunday was Father's Day. We returned to Citi Field to see the finale of the Mets and the Cubs.
This time we were joined in section 516 by Phil Butleman, David Sack, Pat Gorman, Alan Gimpel, Al Linderman and Michael Carson.

As for the game we saw, the Cubs scored a run in the first inning to take a 1-0 lead. They extended their to 3-0 in the top of the fifth inning thanks to a comedy of errors by the Mets which allowed two unearned runs to score. It appeared that the Mets were on the verge of getting swept. Suddenly in the bottom of the ninth inning, they awoke from the dead. Marlon Byrd led off with a solo home run to make it 3-1. Lucas Duda followed with a walk and John Buck got a single. Omar Quintanilla proceeded to bunt them over to second and third base with just one out. Kirk Nieuwenhuis came up and ended the game in dramatic fashion as he hit a game winning three run homer to right field to give the Mets an improbable come from behind win as they beat the Cubs, 4-3.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 5/27 in review (Subway Series Edition)

Gio Gonzalez pitching on Memorial Day

On Monday 5/27 Memorial Day was observed. The King & I stayed home during the day. We wound up watching the Nationals play the Baltimore Orioles that afternoon in our Nation's Capitol on TV. Gio Gonzalez was pitching so I was all excited. Unfortunately he didn't pitch that well. He got roughed up. He gave up four runs in five and two thirds innings. The Nationals lost the game, 6-2.

After the game, I made dinner before we went out to Citi Field for the first installment of this year's Subway Series between the Mets and the Yankees. Each team was hosting a two game series this time around due to the realignment that took effect this season. With that being said, the Mets were home Monday & Tuesday and the Yankees were home Wednesday & Thursday.

In game one at Citi Field, we were joined by our pals Phil Butleman, Alan Gimpel, Manny Morales, Marc Beck & Michael Abrams who has seen 927 consecutive Yankee home games in section 516. In addition, we had musical entertainment thanks to the Hooligan's who were present & accounted in section 513.

Furthermore, it should noted due to the outrageous pricing structure that the Mets implement, they weren't able to sell the game out. They announced a crowd of 32,911. They were a handful of empty sections scattered throughout the ballpark. As a result, they got what they deserved. We'll wait & see what happens next year. The bottom line is you can only push the envelope so far before people decide enough is enough. Apparently, the Subway Series has lot its luster.

As for the game we saw, the Yankees scored first in top of the sixth inning to take a 1-0 lead off starting pitcher Jonathon Niese who like his counterpart, Phil Hughes pitched well. The Mets tied the game at one as third baseman David Wright hit a lead off homer in the seventh inning off Hughes. The Mets got the eventual game winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning off of reliever David Robertson as second baseman Daniel Murphy delivered a clutch two out hit which enabled the Mets to win, 2-1.

Tuesday night after work I went to Checkers for my pre game meal. I wound up meeting up with the King there. After we ate, we got on the 7 train and we went back to Citi Field for game two. Upon arrival, we were greeted by our pal, Sam Citron. He told us, I hope they play tonight. The weather was horrible which wound up delaying the start of the game by 91 minutes. As a result, we decided to hang out in the Caesar's Club for a while as we waited out the rain delay. Once they said the game was going to start, we headed up to section 516.

We had company as David Sack was there with his friend Andrew. We also had Martin Caamano, Michael Carson, Mike Klein who came because his softball game was cancelled & Michael Abrams who came back for more.

Before the game started, the Mets did a video tribute to Yankee closer Mariano Rivera who's retiring at the end of the season. He then proceeded to throw out the ceremonial first pitch to former Met closer John Franco. It was a nice touch by the Mets to do that.

Mariano Rivera throws out ceremonial first pitch

As for the game we saw, we had a great pitching match up that lived up to the hype for a change as the Mets had Matt Harvey starting against Hiroki Kuroda for the Yankees. The game was scoreless again until the top of the sixth when the Yankees got a clutch two out run scoring single by Lyle Overbay to take a 1-0 lead. The Mets couldn't score against Kuroda who shut them out for seven innings. David Robertson threw a scoreless eighth inning. As for the Mets, Matt Harvey continued to impress as he went eight strong innings. He allowed the lone run and he struck out ten Yankees. In the bottom of the ninth inning, the Mets faced Mariano Rivera who came in looking to close it out. The Mets got a lead off double from Daniel Murphy to get the inning started. David Wright followed with a single to left center that tied the game at one. He went to second base on a throwing error so he was in scoring position representing the winning run. Lucas Duda came up next and he delivered the game winning hit as the Mets beat the Yankees again, 2-1 in front of an announced crowd of 31,877 which was slightly smaller than the night before. It should be noted that not only did Mariano blow the save, he also didn't record an out for the first time in his career.

Wednesday night after work I went up to the Bronx as the Subway Series continued at Yankee Stadium. Before I went inside, I stopped off at Foodtown which is a supermarket in the neighborhood. I decided to get a ham & swiss cheese sandwich to take into the ballpark with me for dinner.

When I got up to our seats in section 420B I was greeted by our pal Phil Butleman who was present & accounted for. I sat down and I ate it. When I was done, I got ready for game three of the series. It should be noted that the 7 Line Army, a group of 300 Met fans were in the building as part of their Bronx invasion. They were all dressed in orange t-shirts out by the left field foul pole on the terrace level. They were very vocal from start to finish. They had a blast. For a sample, here's a video they did on You Tube. It includes a tribute to the King. Click on the link and see it for yourself.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kCsglxQ4t4g&feature=youtu.be&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DkCsglxQ4t4g%26feature%3Dyoutu.be

As for the game we saw, this time the Mets picked up where they left off the night before at Citi Field. They batted around as they knocked out Yankee starter David Phelps who recorded just one out. He got belted as the Mets built a 5-0 lead before the Yankees took their first at bat against Mets' starter Jeremy Hefner. The Mets added another run in the third inning thanks to a solo homer by Marlon Byrd which made it a 6-0. The Mets tacked on two more runs in the fourth inning as Lucas Duda doubled in a pair to make it 8-0. The Yankees broke the shutout in the bottom of the fourth when Brennan Boesch hit a solo homer to make it 8-1. The Yankees chipped away as they scored a few more in the sixth inning to make it 8-3. The Mets made it 9-3 in the top of the ninth. The Yankees came back with a run in the bottom of the ninth inning but they came up short for the third straight night, 9-4 in front of an announced crowd of 43,681 which also was short of a sellout. The Yankees unlike the Mets charge the same price regardless of the opposition but since most of their seats are so pricey, it's hard for them to sellout most of their games.


Thursday night after work I returned to the Bronx for the fourth and final game of this year's Subway Series. This time I went to Burger King for my pre game meal. After I ate, I walked over to the Stadium. I went up to my seat in section 420B where I was greeted by our pals Steve Tepperman & Manny Morales who were also there. Since the Mets won the first three games, the question was would they be able to win again and sweep the series. Read on and you'll find out the details.

As for the game we saw, the Mets got on the scoreboard first as Marlon Byrd hit a two run home run after Yankee starter Vidal Nuno issued a lead off walk to Lucas Duda start the second inning. In the bottom of the third inning, the Yankees broke the shutout as Robinson Cano hit a solo homer off Met starter Dillon Gee to cut the lead in half, 2-1. Gee went on to retire the next fifteen Yankee batters in a row. With one out in the bottom of the eighth inning, Mets manger Terry Collins surprisingly took Gee out of the game with the Mets ahead, 3-1. Gee was in total control. He threw only 88 pitches and he stuck out twelve Yankees before he departed. Apparently he didn't want to take any chances. The Met bullpen combo of Scott Rice and Bobby Parnell shut the Yankees down the rest of the way as the Mets did indeed sweep the Yankees. By doing so, the King was forced to back up his bold statement. He said and I quote "if the Mets sweep the Yankees, I'll shave off my beard."

Stay tuned for the rest of the week in review as I recap the weekend and the King's temporary new look.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 5/20 in review

Monday night after work I went to Taste of Dolly's for dinner on my way to Citi Field to see the Mets open a three game series with the Cincinnati Reds who were making their only appearance in the New York area.
When I got to Citi Field, I was greeted by my pal, Sam Citron who was happy to see me by the Rotunda entrance. After we exchanged pleasantries, I went inside and up to section 515 where the rest of the royal court was sitting on this night. Among those we were there included Phil Butleman, David Sack and his friend Ben, Vincent Ascanio, Bryan Gilligan, Al Linderman, Frank Anichiarico, Pat Gorman, Martin Caamano and Michael Abrams.

As for the game we saw, the Reds jumped on Shaun Marcum who started for the Mets. He gave up a lead off walk to start the game to center fielder Shin-Soo Choo. After he recorded the first out, he proceeded to give up three straight hits which scored three runs. He then struck out the next two batters. The Mets came back in the bottom of the third inning and they tied the game at three as right fielder Marlon Byrd hit a three run homer off of Reds' starter Johnny Cueto to give the Met fans some hope. The Reds' broke the tie as right fielder Jay Bruce hit a solo homer to start the top of the sixth inning to make it 4-3. The Mets were unable to answer again as they dropped the first game of the series.

Tuesday night after work I went to Checkers for my pre game meal as I returned to Citi Field for game two of the series.

This time the royal court sat in its usual spot in section 516. We were joined by Manny Morales, Phil Butleman, Al Linderman, Pat Gorman & Martin Caamano. We also had in house entertainment in section 513 as the Hooligan's were present & accounted for. They have great chants for different Met players as they come to bat. In addition, they love to join in with the King when a Met pitcher strikes out an opposing team's batter. In that regard, the King's signature strikeout call has become a staple among the fans who sit around us.

As for the game we saw, the Mets once again dug a hole for themselves early. This time starter Jonathon Niese got the first two outs then he lost his control. Three walks, a few hits and a costly error by David Wright opened the door for the Reds as they scored three runs in their first at bat for the second game in a row. Unfortunately the Mets couldn't touch Mike Leake who threw seven shutout innings. The Reds added another run in the ninth inning as catcher Devin Mesoraco hit a solo homer to lead off to give the Reds a 4-0 lead. The Mets failed to score against the Reds' bullpen as they fell again.

Wednesday during the day I was working so I couldn't attend the finale of the series which was an afternoon affair. The Mets wound up losing again. After work, I went home and I made myself dinner then I went out and I did my laundry.

Thursday night after work I came home. I made myself dinner and I relaxed & watched TV. It was nice to live like a normal human being for a night.

Friday night after work I went home since I got out of work early. I was able to pick up some warm clothes so I could be ready for the cool dreary night ahead.

Since I had a big lunch I decided to skip a pre game meal. I went right to Citi Field to see the Mets open the Memorial weekend with a three game series with their division rivals, the Atlanta Braves. Thanks to mother nature, the start of the game was delayed slightly. The first pitch was thrown by Mets starter Jeremy Hefner at 7:26PM.

As a result, I wound up wandering around the ballpark before the game began. When I got up to the Royal Court in section 516, I was joined by David Sack who was with his friend Andrew, Frank Anichiarico, Vincent Ascanio, Bryan Gilligan, Pat Gorman, Michael Abrams and Alan Gimpel who all decided to brave the elements.

As for the game we saw, the Mets trailed right off the bat again as first baseman Freddie Freeman hit a two run homer in the first inning to give the Braves a 2-0 lead. The Mets slice the lead in half as left fielder Lucas Duda hit a pop up to left that fell in for a run scoring single thanks to the brutal wind that was blowing. The Mets evened the score at two in the fourth inning when catcher John Buck lead off with a solo home run. The Mets took the lead in the fifth inning when right fielder Marlon Byrd singled in a run. The Braves responded with a lead off solo homer by Dan Uggla in the seventh inning. The Braves regained the lead with a few runs in the top of the eighth inning as pinch hitter Evan Gattis delivered a clutch two out hit as the rain started falling again. In the bottom of the eighth inning, the Mets tied the game again with a single by Daniel Murphy and a wild pitch while Rick Ankiel was batting. Ankiel wound up striking out and the umpires decided to put the tarp on the field with the game tied at five. The game didn't resume after they waited 75 minutes. As a result, the game was suspended. They were going to resume the game Saturday night before the regularly scheduled game at 7:15PM.

As for the King, Bryan Gilligan, Frank Anichiarico and I, we wisely left once they put the tarp on the field. We went to Donovan's Pub for a post game meal. It turned out to be a great decision. We wound up meeting the King's brother Charlie there. It was great to see him again. We all enjoyed our meals, drinks and each other's company.

Stay tuned for a special post that will recap our Memorial Day weekend which was filled with personal milestones for the King & I as well as for another ballpark chaser we've met along the way.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 5/6 in review

Monday night after work I got to go home and relax for a change. There were no baseball games to attend in the area so I did the next best thing. In other words, I was able to catch up on my blog. I didn't want to fall further behind. As time goes on, I unexpectedly find new things and people to write about. So I need to use my free time wisely.

With that being said, I'm going to summarize the week I had then when I have some spare time I'm going to do some special posts about some people, new and old, I got to meet and greet along the way.
Tuesday night after work I went to Taste of Dolly's for dinner on my way to Citi Field to see the Mets open a two game series with the Chicago White Sox who quite amazingly were making their first ever visit to Queens to play the Mets.

Upon arrival, I got to see my pal Sam Citron who greeted me by the Rotunda entrance. He told me that a lady came in earlier with her son. He was describing Rebecca Herman who I met at Yankee Stadium over the weekend. She took a picture of him because I saw it on Twitter. Rebecca said and I quote "Sam is a very nice gentleman." That tweet made me feel real good. Shortly thereafter, I saw another tweet that another person that I follow thanks to other people I know was also at the game. I got all excited about the potential tweet and greet. For some reason, my phone decided to act up. As a result, I couldn't get in touch with Rebecca Herman aka The Baseball PHD. She told me she had seats in the Delta Suite with her son, Trevor who's afraid of heights. With that being said, I decided to go upstairs to section 516 so I could get ready for the game.

We had a nice gathering in the Royal Court if you will as the King and I were joined by the usual regulars, Bryan Gilligan and the Ascanios, Ralph & Vincent aka the Kid. In addition, we also had our friends Frank Anichiarico, Phil Butleman, Pat Gorman, Martin Caamano & Charlie Vitanza in attendance.

As for the game we saw, Matt Harvey was starting for the Mets. With that being said, we knew we had a chance to see a great game. He was opposed by Hector Santiago who started for the White Sox. As advertised, this match up turned out to be a beauty. Matt Harvey out pitched Hector Santiago but neither one got a decision as the game was decided in extra innings. Matt Harvey in fact was almost perfect for the first nine innings. He allowed an infield hit to shortstop Ruben Tejada who couldn't put enough on the throw to get Alex Rios who barely beat it out at first base with two outs in the seventh inning. He struck out twelve batters too. He was simply amazing. Unfortunately the Mets couldn't score a run off the White Sox pitching for the first nine innings either. Santiago pitched well for seven innings. Matt Lindstrom pitched the eighth. Then Nate Jones came on for ninth and he pitched into the tenth when the Mets finally broke through to ultimately win the game, 1-0 thanks to a game winning pinch hit by Mike Baxter to make a winner out of reliever Bobby Parnell who pitched a scoreless tenth for the Mets.

Wednesday night after work I went to Subway and Carvel for dinner and dessert on my way to Citi Field.
On this night I was joined by Rich Wolber, Phil Butleman, Frank Anichiarico, Pat Gorman and Charlie Vitanza as well as the usual regulars.

It should be noted that the Hooligan's were present & accounted for in section 513. They made their presence felt when they chanted "Where's the King?". He was talking on his cell phone at the time. As a result, they caught him off guard. It was quite a scene.

As for the game we saw, the White Sox finally got a run in Queens. Lead off batter Alejandro De Aza hit a home run to right field to make it 1-0 right off the bat. The Mets tied it in the second inning when Lucas Duda returned the favor hitting a homer to right. In the third inning, the White Sox got four straight hits after the first out which scored three more runs off Mets starter Jeremy Hefner. They tacked on another run in the seventh and the ninth innings while the Mets added one in the eighth and another in the ninth but they fell short as the White Sox won the game, 6-3 to earn a split in the two game set.

Thursday night after work I went to Checker's for my pre game meal on my way back to Citi Field to see the Mets open a four game weekend series with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

When I got upstairs I was joined by Phil Butleman, Manny Morales, Michael Abrams, Pat Gorman, Alan Gimpel and Martin Caamano.

As for the game we saw, the Mets and Pirates played a seesaw battle as both teams took turns scoring single runs. The game was tied at two going to the bottom of the ninth inning. The Pirates decided to bring in their new closer this year my pal Jason Grilli in a tie game. He gave up an infield single to Marlon Byrd to start the inning who was then bunted to second by Andrew Brown. With one out, Mike Baxter pinch hit for center fielder Juan Lagares who made a nice catch to end the top of the ninth. Baxter became a hero as he delivered the game winning hit to give the Mets a 3-2 victory. Since it came against Jason it was bittersweet for me because I want to see him to do well every time he pitches.

Friday night after work I went back to Citi Field to see game two of the series with the Pirates. I wasn't hungry so I decided to go straight to Citi Field in hopes of seeing Jason Grilli after batting practice ended. Unfortunately I heard Jason went in by the time I arrived. I was surprised but being in a new role this year, he has other responsibilities.

After I struck out, I went upstairs so I could get ready for the game. I had some company. The King, Bryan Gilligan, Vincent Ascanio as usual were already there. In addition, our pals Frank Anichiarico, Al Linderman, Pat Gorman and Alan Gimpel were there too.

As for the game we saw, the Pirates took a 6-0 lead midway through the game. Catcher Anthony Recker hit a solo homer to break the shutout to make it 6-1. The Pirates added another run in the ninth to go up, 7-1. In the bottom of the ninth inning, former Yankee Jose Contreras came in to finish the game. He couldn't get it done. Instead he wound up setting up a save for my pal Jason Grilli who got Ruben Tejada to fly out to center field to end the game as the Mets came up short as they lost, 7-3.

After the game, Bryan Gilligan, Frank Anichiarico, the King and I went to Donovan's Pub for a post game meal.

Stay tuned for the special posts I plan to write about the people I met along the way. In addition, I'm going to do another special post that we recap the weekend as well.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 4/22 in review

Taste of Italy No. 2

Monday night after work I came home. I made myself dinner and then went out & I did my laundry.

Tuesday night after work I stopped off at a restaurant called Taste of Italy No. 2 which is located at 40-05 Junction Blvd in Corona, Queens. It's right off the 7 train which makes it nice & convenient to go to. I want to thank my pal Vincent Ascanio for the royal recommendation. I wound up getting chicken parm and spaghetti which came with three garlic knots for $5.95. They have waitress service too so you can sit down, relax and enjoy your meal. I certainly did. When I got done, I hopped back on the 7 express train one stop to Citi Field where I went to see the Mets open a three game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Chicken Parm and Spaghetti

When I got off the train, I went to see my pal Sam Citron who greeted me with a handshake. As always, it was a pleasure to see him again. I went upstairs to section 515 because that's where the rest of the people I know were sitting on this cold, windy night. Amongst us regulars were our friends Steve Tepperman, Pat Gorman and Martin Caamano who were present and accounted for as well.

In addition, we had some musical entertainment in section 513 as the Hooligan's were at the game too. They always make the game experience more amusing. In fact, they chanted out during the game, Where's the King? He was near me. He said and I quote "they're asking for me." I told him, yes they are. They're also big fans of his signature strikeout call which they join him on. Regardless of the lousy weather, it turned out to be a great night out.

As for the game we saw, the Dodgers got a three run homer from Mark Ellis in the seventh inning which broke a 2-2 tie to make it 5-2. In the eighth inning, they added a few more runs thanks to a two run double by A.J. Ellis. The Mets wound up losing the game, 7-2. The one bright spot for the Mets was that former Brooklyn Cyclone Juan Lagares who was called up from the minor leagues got his first major league hit, a single in the seventh inning.

Wednesday night after work I went to Subway and Carvel for my pre game meal before I went to Citi Field for game two of the three game series between the Mets and Dodgers. This time we sat in our usual section 516 up near the top. We had a nice gathering on this night which was also cold & nasty. Thankfully Matt Harvey was starting for the Mets so we had a chance to see a good game.

As for the people who joined us, we had Manny Morales, Charlie Vitanza, Phil Butleman, David Sack, Rich Wolber, Alan Gimpel and Martin Caamano. In addition, we had some special guests who used to show up more often. I'm referring to my good friend James Gabriele who was there with his son Andrew and our pal Mike Klein who came out as well.

As for the game we saw, Matt Harvey pitched well. He went six innings. He allowed three runs & four hits while he walked just one and he struck out seven. He left the game down 3-2. The Mets rallied to tie the game with a run in the bottom of the ninth inning thanks to a clutch two out hit by David Wright which got Matt Harvey off the hook for the loss. The game was decided in the tenth inning as the Mets got a game winning grand slam from Jordany Valdespin which gave them a 7-3 win.

Thursday night after work I went up to the Bronx. I stopped off at the Court Deli Restaurant. I got a roast beef sandwich for dinner. I took it into Yankee Stadium and I ate it. I was joined by the King.

The Yankees were opening a four game series with the Toronto Blue Jays. Thanks to the horrible scheduling the Mets were home over the weekend too at the same time Friday and Sunday.

As for the game we saw, the Blue Jays took an early 3-0 lead thanks to Edwin Encarnacion who hit a two run homer in the first inning and Brett Lawrie who hit a solo shot in the second inning. The Yankees answered back in their half of the second inning as former Blue Jay Vernon Wells hit a solo homer to make it a 3-1 game. In the third inning, Robinson Cano hit a three run homer with two outs to give the Yankees a 4-3 lead. They added another run in the fourth inning when Francisco Cervelli hit a rare homer as home run derby continued. The Yankees and Blue Jays didn't score the rest of the way as the Yankees won the game, 5-3.

Friday night after work I went to Taste of Dolly's for a pre game meal on my to Citi Field as the Mets opened a three game series with the Philadelphia Phillies. Since the Yankees were also home, we had a smaller than usual crew amongst us on this night. Those who were present & accounted for were Pat Gorman, Frank Anichiarico, Alan Gimpel, Martin Caamano and Michael Carson. In addition, the Hooligan's were in the house again too which is also a welcome addition.

As for the game we saw, the Mets and Phillies were scoreless until the sixth inning when the Phillies finally broke through. They roughed up Mets starter Dillon Gee who gave up four straight hits which resulted in four runs before he recorded an out. Michael Young got a run scoring single and Ryan Howard cleared the bases when he hit a home run to center field to give the Phillies all the offensive support they needed as starter Kyle Kendrick pitched a gem. He went the distance as he shutout the Mets on just three hits. He walked one and struck out five as the Phillies took the opener, 4-0.

After the game, Bryan Gilligan, Frank Anichiarico, the King & I went to Donovan's Pub for a post game meal.

Stay tuned for a special post that will recap the way we made the most of our weekend in NYC.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 5/30 in review

Mets Season Ticket Holder of the Game

I lived at Citi Field for the whole week except for Thursday afternoon because I was doing something called work.

Monday night the Mets had a nice military salute and tribute for all the brave men and women who have and continue to protect our country day in and day out. We're always proud to be Americans everyday but Memorial Day is one of those days that patriotism takes on more meaning.

On this night, the Mets built a lead against the Pittsburgh Pirates only to have the score tied up at the seventh inning stretch.

Apparently the Mets were inspired by the special rendition of God Bless America in honor of Memorial Day. They stormed back to retake the lead by scoring two in the seventh inning and two more in the eighth and they held on to beat the Pirates, 7-3 sending the crowd home happy.

It should be noted the Hooligan's were in attendance as well. They provided their usual added entertainment as they sang their songs as the Mets batted.

Tuesday night the Mets scored a run in the first inning. Unfortunately they didn't score anymore. They wound up giving up three runs in the eighth inning and two more in the ninth as they fell to the improving Pirates, 5-1.

It should be noted that Pirate rookie Josh Harrison made his major league debut and he got his first major league hit.

Wednesday night I was back for more punishment as it turned out. The Mets had a 2-0 lead going into the seventh inning when the Pirates broke through on the Mets again. They scored five runs in the inning. They added four more in the eighth to put the game away. The Mets added one more as they lost this one, 9-3.

We did have a special surprise guest on this night so it wasn't a total loss or waste of time. The King's half brother Charlie Casiano stopped by to say hello. It was a pleasure to see him again. Hopefully he'll join us for a road trip in the near future.

Thursday night I got a break from watching Mets baseball. After those last two games, it couldn't have come at a better time.

Friday night I went back to see if they could win again in front of me. This time their division rival, the Atlanta Braves who were visiting Citi Field for the first time this season.

The Mets once again had a lead until the late innings. This time they were up 3-1. Their starter Jonathon Niese pitched well before he was taken out of the game with two outs in the eighth inning. The bullpen allowed the Braves to tie the game after Niese departed. Jason Isringhausen was victimized this time. In the ninth inning, they brought in Francisco Rodriguez aka K-Rod in to keep the game tied. He failed to do so. He got hit hard this time as the Braves chopped him up as they scored three more runs to take game one of the series, 6-3.

Saturday night was different in more ways than one. The week before my ticket representative for the Mets, Michael Parton arranged for me to be selected as the Mets Season Ticket of the Game. I got to say the two words baseball fans long to hear before the game starts. That being "Play Ball." It was a thrill and an honor to do so.

I must have inspired the Mets who wound up scoring five runs in the seventh inning to break open a scoreless game. They amazingly hung on to win, 5-0. Dillon Gee pitched seven shutout innings to improve his record to 6-0.

It should be noted our fan club in section 516 was in the house supporting me. I also had Vincent Ascanio who took the great picture of me on the scoreboard as you can see and his father Ralph was with him for this special occasion.

Sunday the Mets and Braves wrapped up their three game series at night thanks to ESPN which decided to take the game. As a result, Citi Field looked a lot less crowded than it would have been for a day game.
Those of us including our pals Manny Bonilla and Arjun Lal who decided to show up got treated by the Mets as they had early 6-0 lead. Despite that they still tried their best to blow the game. Thankfully they held on again to win, 6-4.

In the future, if you plan to come to Citi Field let me know so we can arrange to hook up.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman